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On April 18, Linda Rhea Utterback passed away at Peace Hospice in Great Falls. A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. on April 26 at the Presbyterian Church in Conrad. Pondera Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Linda was born to Frank “Bud” and Nadine Holter in Miles City on June 20, 1947. She attended Miles City Public Schools and graduated from Custer County High School in 1965. She began her college education at Miles Community College and graduated from Eastern Montana College in Billings with a B.S. in Education and an extended major in English. Linda met Lynn Utterback at Eastern and they were married on May 3, 1969 in Miles City.

Linda taught full time and part time at several schools in Montana, including Terry, Sunburst, Fort Benton, Medicine Lake and Brady. Linda’s first love and true vocation was her children and family.

Linda and Lynn had two children, a son Cory and a daughter Kelly. Linda loved nothing more than being with her children. In later years, Christmas and other vacations were of such importance that every minute was scheduled and orchestrated for maximum joy and efficiency. Occasionally, those of the family less skilled in time management details would fail to live up to the predetermined agenda and were given additional coaching.

As her children and extended family grew, so did Linda’s love for them. Elaborate calendars, highlighting everyone’s accomplishments and their birthdays were developed, printed and delivered for Christmas. Daily communications with family, especially her beloved sisters, were always part of Linda’s schedule. She was an avid photographer and an electronic scrapbooker—not surprisingly, her favorite subject matter was her family.

She will be dearly missed by everyone who knew her.

Linda is survived by her husband of 43 years Lynn Utterback of Conrad; her son Cory (Dorinda) of Whitefish; her daughter Kelly (Jeremy) Fuhringer of Great Falls; her parents Bud and Nadine Holter of Miles City; her sisters Jody (Less) Mahon of Gillette, Wyo., Jeri Lester of Brady and Sandi (Jim) Updyke of Miles City; and many nieces and nephews who were loved so dearly.

Memorials are suggested to Sletten Cancer Institute or the Conrad Community Education Foundation.